The federal government has approved 114 new standards for the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON), to boost Nigeria’s economic growth, Industry, Trade and Investment Minister Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo said.
The new standards affect various sectors of the economy such as civil and building engineering, food technology, mechanics, liquefied petroleum gas as well as energy management systems.
He said at a board meeting in Abuja that the approval was in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) program.
Adebayo, represented by Dr Nasir Sani-Gwarzo, permanent secretary of the ministry, said 77 of the new standards were recently introduced, while 11 were revised to meet changing economic and technological demands.
On Friday, in a statement signed by Sani-Gwarzo, the minister listed some of the standards as cassava peel product, corn bran as livestock feed, halal food, with specific requirements involved in production. and guidelines for the use of the term “Halal” in foods in Nigeria.
Others include the practice of planting and harvesting tea, as well as the practice of hygiene for the processing and packaging of produce.
“Further standards for energy management system requirements with guidance for the use of various types of gas cylinders, safe handling and storage for compressed liquefied or permanent dissolved gases.”
“As well as a guide for standards developers from SON and other organizations in Nigeria,” he said.
Adebayo congratulated SON Director General Mallam Farouk Salim and his management for achieving 96% of the implementation of the approved National Standardization Strategy (NNSS) despite the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He recalled that in June 2020, the NNSS identified a total of 658 standardization projects in key priority areas, categorized by economic sectors, as highlighted in the federal government’s ERGP, the Nigerian Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP ) and other strategies.
Reporting, Salim said SON has developed and approved a 2021-2024 strategic plan to provide a clear guide for the implementation of planned programs and their evaluation.
He listed key projects executed by the agency to include the facelift of the head office complex in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti state, and some unfinished facilities in FCT, Abuja, Yobe, Akwa Ibom, Ilorin states. , Kwara and Bauchi.
The SON coxswain further said that construction is underway in Anambra, Kogi States and at the Enugu National Metrology Institute, while the Sokoto State government recently carried out the ceremony. Groundbreaking ceremony for the prototype office, laboratory complex and SON storage facility. (NAN)
